United Against Extremism campaign – Messages of Support

Rt Hon David Cameron MP, The Prime Minister
Our memories, our thoughts and prayers remain with the friends and families of those who lost their lives.
In light of these tragic events, it is even more important that we stand together against extremism. The work of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK in explaining how incompatible extremism is with the true religion of Islam is commendable.The Government welcomes the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK’s longstanding work to encourage peace and tolerance for all. I hope your work may long continue.

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for Countering Extremism
We are an incredible, inclusive and progressive nation where the diversity of our communities is our strength. I pay tribute to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community who have shown that devotion to faith is the foundation to a selfless desire to serve humanity driven by a deep sense of loyalty to our nation. At time of great human tragedy as we have seen recently with the terrorist atrocities in Paris, the Community has once again issued a resounding and resolute call of peace and unity against the dark forces of extremism which seek to divide us.

Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, Leader of the House of Commons
“We need to come together across society and communities to combat extremism. The Ahmadiyya community has a proud track record of positive action in society, and this latest initiative will, I believe, play a valuable role in what is a big challenge for all of us.

jane Ellison MP, Minister for Public Health
“I very much support the continued efforts of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, in London and elsewhere, to promote peace and cohesion in our country. I see this very clearly through my work as a constituency MP.
“It is all the more important in these difficult times that all parts of our society come together to demonstrate our opposition to extremism and our support for inclusiveness, peace and tolerance. The leading role that Ahmadiyya Muslims are taking as part of this is admirable, and typical of your community, which has so consistently promoted a message of peace, love and respect for all. “Thank you for all that you do, and I wish you every success with your campaign.”

Rt Hon Tom Brake MP, Lib Dem Foreign Affairs Spokesman and Chief Whip
“I am fully behind this initiative by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. This campaign very effectively highlights the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s total commitment to peace and opposition to violence and extremism. The campaign reminds us all that those who claim to commit acts of violence in the name of Islam are not real followers of the Muslim faith.”

Siobhain McDonagh MP
“A wonderful campaign that sends a strong message of unity and solidarity. There is no room for extremism in our society and I commend the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for this initiative.”

Mohammad Asgar AM, Member of National Assembly for Wales
“I commend the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for this campaign. Through solidarity and a commitment to justice we can defeat all forms of extremism.”

Jeff Cuthbert AM, Member of National Assembly for WalesThe Ahmadiyya Muslim Community are a significant force for good. They stand totally opposed to the extremism of so-called ISIS and promote the true peaceful nature of Islam. I support them fully in their campaign United Against Extremism.

Stephen Hammond MP
“I fully support this initiative and its timely and resolute message. Extremism has no place in the UK and efforts to sow discord and hate will never succeed. This campaign by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community reflects the strength of our values that are rooted in unity, cohesion and peace.”

Ruth Cadbury MP
“The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s ‘United Against Extremism’ campaign is excellent. It is spreading the message of peace and rejecting extremism at such an important time when there are so many religious conflicts around the world and I give my full support to the initiative.”

Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP
“I am delighted to learn that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has embarked on a campaign to combat extremism and to help promote peace and community cohesion in our country.
Ahmadiyya Muslims have a long record of striving for good community relations, interfaith understanding and peace. I fully support their initiative which I hope will continue their good work in breaking down barriers between people.”

Virendra Sharma MP
“I wholeheartedly support this campaign by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community that sends a powerful message to show that the acts of extremists can never divide us. All religions are sacred and we stand united with people of faith and of no faith to say extremists do not act in our name.”

Seema Malhotra MP
“Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance which is practiced by billions of Muslims around the world. The atrocities that are committed in the name of Islam by a small group of people, who purport to be Muslims, has no basis in our civil society. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK have launched this timely campaign to promote Islam’s rejection of extremism and to build upon the message of ‘Muslims for loyalty, freedom and peace’ and love for all, hatred for none. I have worked with the Ahmadiyya community in my constituency and am pleased that this campaign has been launched, to send out a positive message of peace and respect.”

Lord Alton of Liverpool, Independent Crossbench Peer
“I fully support this campaign to stand united against all forms of extremism and hate. All must be free to practice and follow their faith without fear and extremists who seek to deny us our human rights must be challenged and held to account.”

John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor
“At this time of deep sadness let us stand together against prejudice and violence so that we can create the society of peace and harmony that the Ahmadi community so consistently espouses.”

Cllr Fraser Macpherson, Dundee City Council
“I am very pleased that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Dundee is taking such positive action to highlight the need for everyone to take a stand to reject of all forms of extremism and message of solidarity with all who have been victims across the world. This is another example of the Ahmadiyya community’s excellent record of positive action and standing up for what is right.”

Lesley Brennan MSP
“The last few weeks have been very difficult for the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, and as they are part of the Dundee community, I feel their loss. It is important in these difficult times that all communities work together to recognise their shared values and be united in opposition to all forms of extremism.I fully support their United Against Extremism campaign to promote peace and cohesion across the UK. I look forward to seeing the buses spreading this message across Dundee.”

Shona Robison MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing
“Scotland prides itself on the diversity of our community and its inclusive nature and the peaceful co-existence of many different faiths. We all have a duty to work towards good community relations and to speak out against prejudice, discrimination and violent extremism from wherever it emanates. I commend this proactive initiative by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and hope that ‘Scotland United Against Extremism’ will help to bring our communities closer together.”

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh MP
“I fully commend and support the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Scotland group for this campaign and their message. It is now more important than ever for us to stand united against extremism and to encourage peace, tolerance and unity within our society.”

The Rt Hon the Lord Provost Councillor Sadie Docherty
“Our city is a community of many races, cultures and languages – and a home to people of all faiths and none. Although there is great sadness within the city at this time, the compassion, the generosity and the love that Glaswegians have shown towards their friends and neighbours are more powerful than the narrow extremism that seeks to divide us.
I am proud to support United Against Extremism and to welcome the continued commitment of Ahmadiyya Muslims to peace and tolerance.”

Paul Morron, President of the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council
“The Glasgow Jewish Community strongly supports the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Scotland’s ‘United Against Extremism’ campaign. As a society, we must all stand together, united against racism and extremism.”

Bailie Fariha Thomas, Glasgow City Council
“I fully support this campaign by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to show that diverse communities stand together against hate crime and extremism. There must be no place for such intolerance and violence in Glasgow or elsewhere in the world. Everyone should have the right to be free to practice and follow their faith without fear. Islam is fundamentally a religion of peace and tolerance, sharing that message with other religions. We need to stand together against those who use their faith as a pretext for bigoted and extremist actions.”

Councillor Jimmy‎ Black, Dundee
“Anyone who studies Scottish history will know our country was once scarred by religious wars. Two sides, both utterly convinced that God was on their side, forgot the teachings of Jesus and slaughtered each other. We survived that as a nation and our success is now built on the principles of peace, love and respect which we share with the Ahmadiyya Muslim community… As a local councillor I welcome the work of this group in my ward, as I do with everyone who wants to live in peace and contribute to our city.”

Superintendent, Graeme Murdoch, Police Scotland
The rich and diverse communities of Dundee must remain united in tackling inequalities within our society and to counter any kind of extremism that seeks to cause harm and division. The Scottish ‘United Against Extremism’ campaign organised locally by the Dundee Ahmadiyya Muslim community is a great example of this drive to create positivity and inclusion. Tayside Division of Police Scotland greatly value the friendship and support of the Dundee Ahmadiyya community and we wholeheartedly support any work to tackle extremism and build community cohesion.”

Edinburgh Women Interfaith Group
“Our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family of those who lost their lives. Our heartfelt prayers are with the victims and those who have been affected. Thank you Ahmadiyya Muslim community, and we wish you every success with your campaign.”

Ian Murray MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
The mark of a decent society is how we treat the people we live beside. We all stand in solidarity against all forms of extremism. We should all have a shared desire to root out views that aim to undermine the way of life that we all value. We also stand in solidarity with all those affected by the abhorrence of terrorism. Efforts to spread discrimination and hate will not succeed if we stand together and that is why this campaign is so important.

Mr Roger Mullin MP
“I commend the Ahmadiyya Muslim community for this campaign. We should stand united in the face of extremist practices within and against any religion, endeavour to eliminate persecution on the basis of religion within local communities, and put an end to animosity based on religious belief.”

Councillor Ricky Henderson, Edinburgh Council
“I wish to express my support for this campaign by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to show that diverse communities stand together against hate crime and extremism. There is no place for intolerance or violence in Scotland or elsewhere in the world. Everyone should have the right to be free to practice and follow their faith without fear. Islam is fundamentally a religion of peace and tolerance, sharing that message with other religions. All communities need to stand together against those who use their faith as a twisted justification for extremism. “

Cllr. Billy Pollock Dunfermline
I believe that any form of extremism is totally wrong and caused great harm to the world. I am happy to support your campaign and wish you well.

Cara Hilton Scottish Labour Candidate for Dunfermline
“I commend the fantastic work of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association and in particular, the innovative campaign by the Edinburgh and Fife Branch to spread the message of peace, love, unity and anti-extremism on our buses. Only through solidarity will be achieved peace and harmony”.

Depute Lord Provost Dundee
“Along with the Lord Provost I also support any campaign that promotes and highlights peace for everyone.
I believe that by working together we can achieve so much more. Understanding of other people can help us in resisting and reducing extremism in any form it may exist. Messages of peace being so publically promoted in our City can only help to bring people from different backgrounds together.”

Hon. Bob Duncan
Lord Provost of DundeeI support any campaign that promotes and highlights peace for everyone. I know from working with communities across Dundee that our people are very understanding, and our city is all the better for this approach.But we can never be complacent and we must remain vigilant against extremism in any form. I am always pleased to see messages like this being highlighted in our city.

Rt. Hon. Chris Law MP Dundee West
“Dundee has a long history of good relations with the Muslim and other ethnic communities in the city. I welcome the Ahmadiyya community’s clear condemnation of all extreme actions by those who purport to speak in the name of Islam but commit crimes of violence against others.”

Rt. Hon. Joe FitzPatrick MSP for Dundee West“Extremism and racial discrimination must be condemned wherever it occurs. I welcome this campaign by the Ahmadiyya community in Dundee in taking this stance against violence. It’s only through different communities working together that we can show solidarity with all who have been victims in Paris, Turkey, Brussels, Pakistan and other places around the world.

Ward 2 – Lochee – Cllr. Norma McGovern – Dundee City Council
I fully endorse you in your endeavours to promote peace throughout this city, throughout this country and throughout the world. Your organisation is very important in promoting peace and integration in this difficult time we live in.

Councillor Ken Lynn, Maryfield Ward, Convener of the Social Work and Health CommitteeI am fully supportive of the Ahmadiyya campaign. Extremism and terrorism is a blight on the lives of many people throughout the world and I welcome this campaign which seeks to promote peace, love and unity.

Councillor Richard McCready, West End Ward, Dundee City CouncilWe must stand together and say that there is no place for prejudice and violence in our society and that we need to promote peace and understanding between peoples of different culture and so I am delighted to support your campaign and hope that it is a huge success, and delighted to support the work that you do.